[dertsap]

I've finally got my machine powered up again and been doing some pics in mdf , sometimes i forget how well this lil machine works . I'm using a picture image software http://www.microcarve.com/index.html that I've recently started selling on my site . It works great and the price is hard to beat , if anyone is interested in it then let me know , I've bought a whack of seats and can sell it to the zone members for $35 , pm me if you want it . try the demo download on the site first
the pics have been cut with a 20 deg bit with a .015 step over , each pic is approx 6"x6" and took about 1/2 hr each to cut , I'm going to start cutting so hardwood later , I'm all out of mdf and I've got an old antique bed that i'm going to cut up into pieces

[dertsap]

been playing some more , still doing the finish on the pics and have a few more coats to go , the mdf was chipping away on the lettering so i'm not sure if the hd pic is salvageable yet

[dertsap]

figured i would give a go at doing lithophanes , it come out ok but i need to work on getting the depths right so the light shines thru better , I think the mdf has taken it's toll on my bit because the finish should have been a bit finer

[Gabe Newell]

Here's a test run I did with microCarve.

The source image:



I used a 2Linc .02" rigid engraving tool, Tough-Tip, 60° tip with a 3/16" shank held in a shrink-fit tool holder. I ran 10,000 RPM, 6IPM (3IPM plunges). I wasn't trying to run fast, just a trial. The depth was also .02" Flood coolant.

I ran the image quite large (6" by 9") in 6061. The red is lay-out die. Here's the result.



The file size was 3,649 KB. Here's an excerpt from the program:

%
O00001 (Tiger engraving)
(T1 Engraving tool .02)
N10 G90 G94
N15 G20
N20 G28 G91 Z0.
N25 G90
N30 M09
N35 T1 M06
N40 S10000 M03
N45 G54
N50 M08
N55 G00 X0. Y0.
N60 G43 Z0.8 H08
N65 Z0.2
N70 G01 Z0.0187 F6.
G1X0.0201Y0.0000Z0.0000
G1X0.0000Y0.0200Z0.0000
G1X0.0000Y0.0401Z0.0000
G1X0.0201Y0.0200Z0.0000
G1X0.0401Y0.0000Z0.0000
G1X0.0602Y0.0000Z0.0000
G1X0.0401Y0.0200Z0.0000
G1X0.0201Y0.0401Z0.0000

...

G1X0.1404Y4.1090Z0.0000
G1X0.1605Y4.0890Z-0.0008
G1X0.1806Y4.0689Z-0.0002
G1X0.2006Y4.0489Z-0.0012
G1X0.2207Y4.0289Z-0.0017
G1X0.2408Y4.0088Z-0.0003
G1X0.2608Y3.9888Z-0.0008
G1X0.2809Y3.9687Z-0.0056
G1X0.3009Y3.9487Z-0.0067
G1X0.3210Y3.9286Z-0.0074
G1X0.3411Y3.9086Z-0.0083
G1X0.3611Y3.8885Z-0.0104
G1X0.3812Y3.8685Z-0.0102
G1X0.4013Y3.8485Z-0.0075
G1X0.4213Y3.8284Z-0.0063
G1X0.4414Y3.8084Z-0.0044
G1X0.4614Y3.7883Z-0.0045
G1X0.4815Y3.7683Z-0.0035
G1X0.5016Y3.7482Z-0.0024
G1X0.5216Y3.7282Z-0.0011
G1X0.5417Y3.7081Z-0.0010
G1X0.5618Y3.6881Z-0.0015
G1X0.5818Y3.6681Z-0.0017
G1X0.6019Y3.6480Z-0.0005
G1X0.6219Y3.6280Z-0.0007
G1X0.6420Y3.6079Z-0.0005
G1X0.6621Y3.5879Z-0.0016
G1X0.6821Y3.5678Z-0.0021
G1X0.7022Y3.5478Z-0.0022
G1X0.7223Y3.5278Z-0.0025
G1X0.7423Y3.5077Z-0.0028
G1X0.7624Y3.4877Z-0.0015
G1X0.7824Y3.4676Z-0.0010
G1X0.8025Y3.4476Z-0.0014
G1X0.8226Y3.4275Z-0.0005
G1X0.8426Y3.4075Z-0.0009
G1X0.8627Y3.3874Z-0.0012
G1X0.8828Y3.3674Z-0.0007
G1X0.9028Y3.3474Z-0.0011
G1X0.9229Y3.3273Z-0.0009
G1X0.9429Y3.3073Z-0.0008
G1X0.9630Y3.2872Z0.0000

...

G1X6.3799Y9.1000Z0.0000
G1X6.4000Y9.0800Z0.0000
G1X6.4000Y9.1000Z0.0000
N1155 G00 Z0.8
N1160 M09
N1165 G28 G91 Z0.
N1170 G28 X0. Y0.
N1175 M30
%

[dertsap]

Thanks for posting that , John sent me the link to that picture from another forum a couple of days ago . that come out excellent the detail is perfect

[dertsap]

had some fun today
most of the stuff I do hangs in the workshop for inspiration and the fact my wife calls them a decorating faux pas , but today i did two that have a bit more to them than my usual gore . I did a Cinderella for my daughters room and I did one of my three kids . I've gotten so used to using a set depth for the pics I've done in the past that I sort of carried it thru to the smaller sizes which has been working against me . i think that I've got it right again with these ones

[dertsap]

been back at it , day two into quitting smoking after 30 yrs so I've been diverting my energy rather than sit like a ticking time bomb .
this is a rerun , I cut one of these a few years back but i managed to destroto y it when i had a brilliant idea to finish it and enhance the detail , turned out not be a brilliant idea .
This is a bmp that I generally use to test any software because it will either come out or not , i think it came out pretty good , I've still got a few finishing touches to complete it

[dertsap]

now my goal is to fill my wall

one more

[bcer960]

This may be exactly what I have been looking for. But I want to make sure, you are taking .jpg and put them into microcarve, and it is producing a gcode to carve it? I have downloaded the program and will try it.

[dertsap]

yep
it will take bmp jpeg and ping images
where in bc are you at ?

[bcer960]

I'm in Kamloops. I played with the program and posted a toolpath, but am going out tonight and won't be able to try it untill the weekend.

Ray

[dertsap]

if you have any questions or need any help then let me know

[dart70ca]

How do you set multiple depths of cut with this program, redo it over at different depths and run it multiple times? Also, the stepover is set by the 'width of tool' dialogue?
What are some common depths you guys have been having success with, or does it matter?

Thanks,
Keith.

[dertsap]

How do you set multiple depths of cut with this program, redo it over at different depths and run it multiple times? Also, the stepover is set by the 'width of tool' dialogue?
What are some common depths you guys have been having success with, or does it matter?

Thanks,
Keith.

there is no way to set multiple depths , generally the depths necessary to cut these pics don't need multiple cuts , if you need it to cut twice then the best that i can suggest is that you run the program on the machine twice at different height offsets
the stepover is set by the dia of the tool , i work at depths between .035" and .15" , its a matter of playing with different depths to see what will bring out the best detail

[bcer960]

I tried to carve the pic into mahogony, it left slivers of wood between passes, have you carve any of these pics in wood? if so did you have the same problem, and how did you overcome them??
Thanks
Ray

[dertsap]

most of the stuff i cut is into mdf , it may be worth trying to take a lighter stepover and possibly a lighter feed rate ( not sure what your feed is though ) , I did some carving on cedar and found that i had best results with a light spray of water .
also a sharp tool is necessary , if your using the same tool that you were cutting the mdf then your tool is probably dull

[hsvyas]

It is really nice pictures. Good work on different bases.

[Mr.Chips]

I tried to carve the pic into mahogony, it left slivers of wood between passes, have you carve any of these pics in wood? if so did you have the same problem, and how did you overcome them??
Thanks
Ray

Mahogany is a pretty coarse grained wood and splinters easily, you want a finer grained wood for better detail. Try a piece of hard maple.

Nice looking product, I'll download and give it a try.

Hager

[dertsap]

here's a small video i did a while back to give a few people a walk thru


[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIQBNzkcfc"]YouTube- microcarve[/nomedia]

[Mr.Chips]

I received the authorization code and it works just fine.

I ran a couple of files from the samples that Dover shows. I also attached the Dover sample artwork. The left one was cut at 0.020" deep and the right one at 0.040" deep (about 2" square), both had a 0.015" step over. You can see the top of another example which was cut at a 0.030" step over. I think a step over of 0.0075" would probably look better on this small of a design. Ate too much dust or I would have ran another one, I need to get my dust shoe done, Cough, cough. Oh yea, I cleaned the fuzz off of the MDF with a tooth brush.

The bit was a very sharp pointed bit so that needs a closer step over when cutting detail like this.

I'm new to this, is black always the deeper cut and white the not so deep? If this is true I could reverse the colors and have a negative image, right?

This is the first software I have bought (besides Mach3) and it is easy to use and the price at $35 is excellent.

Hager